Situation of people in Himalayan earthquakes

People affected by the Himalayan footprint struggled with a difficult life after suffering a seizure of 6.9 on the Richter scale, killing 67 people.

A patched fabric stretched on the football pillars to cover the rain is not an ideal solution for Amrita Laqandri and her family. But at least it's a relatively safe place. For a 32-year-old housewife and dozens of relatives, including parents, aunts, uncles and cousins, safety is the most important issue now.

Frame the football into a temporary shelter for those
Gangtok city people. (Photo: AFP)

Like hundreds of other people of Gangtok, the capital of the Sikkim northeastern state of India, Laqandri and her family members chose the city's football field for the second night to sleep outdoors, since after the earthquake occurred on September 18.

"The stadium is our kitchen and also our sleeping area. Everyone is too afraid to consider anything else," Laqandri said while still making tea and heating bread on a hot stove. follow from home.

Laqandri is the wife of a police officer. Like many others in Gangtok, she is sleeping when the 6.9-magnitude earthquake occurs. Laqandri and many others are still luckier than at least 35 people died in Sikkim state. Gangtok is about 68km southeast of the epicenter. This epicenter is in a remote area near the border with India and Nepal.

After a day and night of various aftershocks, Laqandri said the city of Gangtok is rumored to be a bigger earthquake that can happen here at any time."It's better to sleep outside, instead of waking up all night in a room , " she said. "When I feel a little safer, I will go home later."

The conditions at Gangtok city stadium are not very good to make a temporary residence. The courtyard was soaked all day because of the raining season. Drizzle falls throughout the night making the situation more difficult. Luxury cars parked outside the yard show the same impact that Gangtok people suffer. Even rich people now become homeless and face the risk of poverty.

Temporary living in Gangtok people's stadium. (Photo: AFP)

Sandeep Gurum, a livestock industry official of Sikkim state, also selected the stadium as the best shelter for himself, his wife, brother, four children and even the dog that his family are raising. When the earthquake struck, Gurum and his family ran out of the house as soon as the television fell to the floor, due to the impact of shaking waves, causing the walls and ceilings to crack.

"My wife is frightened and I don't want to risk the lives of the kids. We still can't come back home now , " Gurum said. Using yoga pads to avoid getting water from the ground wet with guns and wearing blankets to keep it cold, they just held umbrellas to cover the rain and ate the items bought from a restaurant that still works later. disaster.

After about 24 hours of the first power outage, Gangtok had electricity again on dawn on Monday. The lights in the stadium were so that it could bring a bit of comfort and safety to the people here, as night fell.

At the housing estates in Gangtok City, many people choose to live temporarily outside but near their home. People gather in groups to exchange stories about what happened in the earthquake.

Nanchu Lepcha, a fruit shop owner, worries about his store's status at Lal Bazar, the city's main wholesale market. It was severely damaged."People will have to rebuild a lot. Right now, I need support to prevent the ceiling from collapsing," Lepcha said.

On a hillside looking at the city of Gangtok, a group of teenagers gathered together and sang together with the guitar in hand. Together they wait for the sun to rise."Nobody wants to go home to sleep or talk about the earthquake. We should stay here, sing and play music," said college student Reema Parjul.

Parjul said that a large rock had fallen into his house after the earthquake."The ceiling cracks like a spider web. I won't sleep there , " he said.

The figure depicts the location of the earthquake
happening and its magnitude. (Graphic: Myforecast)

The magnitude of the magnitude of 6.9 earthquake with epicenter in Sikkim state, India, affected a large region in this country and Nepal and China. The tremor spread from the earthquake was also felt in India's capital New Delhi and Guwahati and Kolkata cities, thousands of kilometers away.

The southern region of Bangladesh is also affected by the earthquake. At least 67 people have been killed in India, Nepal and China's Tibet Territory. This number is expected to increase because there are still many quarantined areas so it is not possible to collect accurate data.

Rescue teams have flocked to the Himalayan disaster area right after the earthquake struck. However, heavy rains and landslides are now major obstacles that rescue teams have not been able to access all affected areas.